Lord Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander South East Asia, makes a tour of inspection of Army and Royal Marine Commando units in Hong Kong.

Mountbatten leaving after addressing troops of 42 Royal Marine Commando. In Kowloon (?) Mountbatten arrives on a parade ground in front of a large building with Indian troops on parade. Mountbatten inspects officers of the Travancore Infantry (Indian State Forces). High shot as Mounbatten addresses the men informally and apparently 'in their language' (according to the dopesheet). They give him three cheers. Mountbatten shakes hands with an Indian officer. Close-up Mountbatten. Mountbatten salutes Indian troops before departing. Mountbatten passes camera and shakes hands with an unnamed brigadier before getting into a staff car with Major-General Frank Festing, General Officer Commanding Hong Kong. Mountbatten salutes a Royal Marine guard of honour. Mountbatten inspects troops. Close-up of Mountbatten. Mountbatten speaks with a commando sergeant. Union flag flying from a building; camera tilts down to Mountbatten inspecting. Mountbatten, standing on the bumper of a jeep, addresses men of 42 Commando. He steps down and departs. Mountbatten salutes a guard, probably of 44 Commando. Speaking to a commando. Mountbatten enters the HQ of 44 Commando. Mountbatten inspects a guard; photographers mill about. Mountbatten speaks to a commando with a marksman's badge on his arm. Mountbatten inspecting 5 Commando at Fanling. Troops marching off. Mountbatten meets a chaplain of 5 Commando. Mountbatten inspecting. Mountbatten speaks to a sergeant. At the Chinese-British border Mountbatten inspects a detachment; camera tilts down from a Union flag. Mountbatten on the roof of a small post with a machine gun and a Union flag. At Ping Shan (Shek Kong?) Mountbatten watches progress on the construction of a new large RAF airfield. Mountbatten on a jetty. Mountbatten onboard an RAF high speed launch for transit to an American cruiser in the harbour.

Notes

The airfield under construction became RAF Sek Kong, and did not open until 1950. It was used by RAF 28 Squadron and RAF 80 Squadron at various points between 1950 and 1997 as a base for late-mark Spitfires, De Havilland Vampire and Venom jet fighter-bombers, and Westland Whirlwind and Wessex helicopters.